How I Live... For The Love Of Bling! I Spend $60m On Diamonds

Ange Hardy (50) is a Tough Negotiator in a Male-dominated World

- Hayley McLarin

It is quite ironic to think that what I do is predominantly female-focused, yet it is still so male driven.

I’m a diamond buyer for Michael Hill, spending about $60 million each year on diamonds. Diamond purchasing is complex and there really is a skill to selecting the right quality stones – and then the art of negotiation comes in.

I find it interesting that I only ever deal with male merchants. There are females working in the jewellery industry, but I buy loose diamonds and the merchants are predominantly family businesses, handed from fathers to sons.

I’ve travelled all around the world, however I go to India twice a year, as 85% of the world’s diamonds pass through there. The Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai is where most of the global diamond trading happens. It’s huge and has over 45,000 people that enter it daily. We also have suppliers in Belgium, Israel, New York and Hong Kong.

I still personally hand-select and buy a lot of the higher-end diamonds that are one-off pieces for our customers.

When trading, I start at a price and keep working really hard, being a tough negotiator to get the price down until I’m happy. Otherwise, I don’t buy it. Over the years, you get to know what you should be paying. As a female in a male’s world, it’s a matter of being tough.